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Awarded Grants
Below is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.

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58 Grants found

An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Field trial of rice gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

Elucidating the genetic basis for sub-tropical flowering in hemp

Breeding and Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain and Fiber Hemp

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Fast Tracking Climate Solutions from Global Germplasm Banks

Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize & Wheat for Improved Livelihoods

Harnessing Translational Research Across a Global Wheat Improvement Network for Climate Resilience

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Assessment of the Available Literature and Gap Analysis on the Use of Industrial Hemp as an Animal Feed

Genomic foundation for neodomestication and breeding of a halophytic grain crop, Distichlis palmeri

Enabling African Scientists: The African Plant Breeding Academy CRISPR Course

High dimensional phenomics and automation to transform cost and timeframe of early stage domestication of wild plants

Creating Science-Based Strategies for Gene Editing Communications

Scalable breeding for plant growth to address the challenges of climate change

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Improving Protein Content & Quality in Peas

Scaling Crops for Sustainable Water Management: Building Supply Chains

Capitalizing on the Unique Viscoelastic Properties of Corn Zein for A New Commercial Plant-Based Protein

A Multi-Scale Approach to Unearth the Root of Plant Disease Resistance

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Rapid Response to Coffee Leaf Rust

Breeding drought & heat tolerant wheat

Leveraging landrace genomics to rapidly engineer thermotolerant cassava

Using novel genes from wild germplasm to boost protein content in cultivated chickpea

Genetic and microbial determinants of nitrogen fixation in a Sierra Mixe landrace of maize

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Genome Editing Wheat for Durable & Sustainable Disease Resistance

Accelerated Development of Crops of the Future

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: Zachary Lippman

Metagenomic Probes for the Rapid Identification of the Microbiome Community in A Wheat Rhizospheremodel System

Improving the Nutritional Quality of Tomatoes

Stopping A New Threat to The Lettuce Industry in Florida: Fusarium Wilt

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An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $750,000

Total award amount   $1,922,439

Location   Clemson, SC

Matching Funders   Clemson University, Cotton, Inc., Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Grantee Institution   Clemson University

Cotton farmers worldwide have long witnessed Fusarium wilt (FOV), a fungal disease that causes rapid wilting and sudden death of cotton plants in nearly all cotton growing regions of the world. FOV cannot be eradicated through biological or chemical treatments, threatening cotton production and farmers’ livelihoods. Clemson researchers are developing germplasm to combat Fusarium wilt, specifically wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4), which infects Upland cotton. They are also collaborating with Australian scientists and using new breeding tools to determine if recently discovered FOV4 resistance genes in U.S. cotton can also provide resistance in Australian cotton.

Field trial of rice gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $25,000

Total award amount   $50,000

Location   Berkeley, CA

Matching Funders   Good Ventures Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of California, Berkeley

Rice is one of the world’s most important staple crops and some varieties are extremely water intensive. More frequent occurrences of severe drought threaten rice production as well as global nutritional security. University of California, Berkeley, researchers are conducting field trials of gene-edited rice lines—groups of similar plants—that in laboratory settings conserve more water more efficiently than non-edited, or wild-type, rice.

Elucidating the genetic basis for sub-tropical flowering in hemp

Year Awarded  2023

Total award amount   $840,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Grantee Institution   Cornell University

Hemp growers have been largely limited to varieties of hemp cultivated in Canada or Europe, but these crops do not thrive in all growing regions of the U.S. Cornell University researchers aim to understand the genetic basis of photoperiod threshold, which is the amount of light a plant needs to achieve flowering and other types of development. Researchers will also use whole genome sequencing to understand the genetic basis for flowering time variation and develop molecular markers to speed breeding for southern-adapted cultivars. These selections will be further bred to produce cultivars with a photoperiod matched to North Carolina, Florida and similar locations.

Breeding and Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain and Fiber Hemp

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $750,000

Total award amount   $1,500,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders   International Hemp

Grantee Institution   Cornell University

Hemp growers have been largely limited to varieties of hemp cultivated in Canada or Europe, but these crops do not thrive in all growing regions of the U.S. Cornell University researchers are also developing varieties of hemp that will deliver higher yields, especially at lower latitudes in the U.S. The research team is developing new hemp cultivars using marker-assisted selection that show promise in southern latitudes and have specific desirable traits. Cornell breeders are selecting for late-flowering individuals grown in trials in New York, North Carolina and Florida that also produce high yields of CBD, which has never been achieved before.

Assessment of the Available Literature and Gap Analysis on the Use of Industrial Hemp as an Animal Feed

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $6,972

Total award amount   $13,944

Location   Lexington, KY

Matching Funders   International Hemp, University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Hemp grain and fiber have a favorable amino acid profile compared to other grains and excellent omega-3 fatty acid compounds, giving them potential as a feed additive for both companion pets and livestock. However, under current Food and Drug Administration and Center for Veterinary Medicine guidelines, hemp is prohibited for inclusion in the diets of livestock, primarily due to safety concerns of possible THC and other chemical transference to the animals or to humans through meat consumption. University of Kentucky researchers are identifying and organizing previous scientific studies using hemp as animal feed to find knowledge gaps that could identify future research opportunities and develop research goals that could more rapidly lead to federal approval of hemp grain and fiber as feed additives.

Multistate characterization of agronomic performance of hemp cultivars, including sterility of new triploid cultivars

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $51,627

Total award amount   $103,254

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   NC State University, Oregon CBD

Increased field production of grain and fiber hemp results in significant amounts of wind-dispersed pollen. Pollination of floral hemp grown for cannabinoids can result in reduced yield and unmarketable quality due to the presence of seeds, which is unacceptable in smokable flower. Consequently, farmers growing floral hemp require tools to minimize the threat of pollination. NC State University researchers are studying sterile varieties of hemp for their potential to retain sterility over multiple growing seasons, and gathering data on these varieties’ flowering and harvest, seed production, floral biomass and cannabinoid concentrations.

Breeding and Genetics of Disease Resistance, Flowering Time, and Cannabinoid Content in Hemp

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders   Cornell University, The Scotts Company LLC

Cornell researchers are focusing on breeding for traits that help adapt hemp to different regions and growing environments, including outdoor and controlled environments. Top priorities include understanding the genes controlling flowering time, mildew resistance and minor cannabinoid production in hemp. The researchers aim to develop molecular markers for the genes controlling these traits to facilitate breeding.

Analysis of Terpenes and Neutral Cannabinoids Using Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry and Genotyping of Hemp Using the SureSelect System

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $251,000

Total award amount   $502,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders   Agilent Technologies, Cornell University

Cannabis can produce high levels of cannabinoids and terpenes, which help defend against pests and have potential economic, pharmacological and societal value. Mapping the genes in hemp that control the production of these compounds is a critical first step in developing genetic markers that can be used in breeding programs. Cornell researchers are using an Agilent Technologies mass spectrometry platform to examine the diversity of cannabinoids and terpenes produced by hemp, ultimately assisting breeding for defense against herbivores and for compounds with pharmacological and wellness value.

Impact of spectra and intensity of LED supplemental lighting on morphology, growth, flower yield, and phytochemical content of Cannabis Sativa

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $100,000

Total award amount   $200,000

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   The Scotts Company LLC

The electricity for lighting cannabis grown in controlled environments in the U.S. is estimated at $896 million annually. Energy-efficient LED adoption could result in 34 percent energy savings, but there is a lack of scientifically validated information on light intensity and quality for optimal yield and phytochemical—CBD and related cannabinoids—content. NC State researchers are focusing on the impact of UV, blue, green, red and far-red light and their interaction for nursery yield, flower yield, phytochemical concentration and profitability. This project will also reveal cannabis’ response to light intensity and provide information on how additional light affects yield and revenue.

FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $846,991

Total award amount   $1,721,129

Location   Clemson, South Carolina

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Clemson University and Carolina Seed Systems, Inc.

(FFAR) is providing a $846,991 Seeding Solutions grant to Clemson University to study sorghum plant properties that enhance beneficial compounds in commercial sorghum, while preserving the crop’s dual use as animal feed.